A Night at the Yule Ball
by HP2016
Summary: My first story, please read! The Marauders prepare for the Yule Ball and Lupin thinks he's found a girl he wants to be with. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_This story takes place assuming the Yule Ball happens every year. It is James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter's 7_ _th_ _year, and the Yule Ball is quickly approaching._

The corridors of the Hogwarts castle were getting chillier as the cold weather was beginning to settle in. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were walking down the staircase of the entrance hall, making their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Volunteer for the Yule Ball planning committee! Only a month away!" two Ravenclaw girls were beckoning as they handed out fliers to students making their way into dinner.

"Awesome, the Yule Ball only means one thing," said James, slyly looking towards his friends. Sirius gave him a rueful grin.

"Well, two things," said Sirius, "girls and alcohol". James laughed and gave his best friend a slap on the back.

"I'm glad I have a built in date this year," said James, who had recently started dating Lily Evans, one of the prettiest girls at Hogwarts.

"Yeah not worrying about who you're taking to bed at the end of the night will give you more time to plan the after party," smirked Sirius.

"Honestly, I am so surprised you guys have never been caught throwing a post-dance party in the Gryffindor common room. You do realize how much trouble you could get in if you're caught, right?" Remus chimed in. By now, he was used to his friends' antics, but the Prefect in him still felt the need to speak out.

"Moony, relax! James is Head Boy there is not way we will get caught" Sirius said, unworried.

"Plus, we have to go hard. This is our last Yule Ball. I'm pulling out all the stops for this year's after party," James added.

Remus simply rolled his eyes, even though everyone knew he would be right in the thick of the action as well come time for the after party.

"Anyway, did you guys think about who you're asking yet?" James asked his friends as they sat down at their usual seats at the Gryffindor House table and began loading their plates with a hardy meal.

"I'll probably just take Helena," Sirius said casually as he scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes, referring to Helena Ross, a sixth year Gryffindor who was in a sort of friends with benefits arrangement with Sirius.

"Why don't you two just date?" Peter asked.

"Are you kidding, Wormtail? And be tied down during seventh year? No thanks; this is a good arrangement. She's hot and also has no interest in commitment so basically a match made in heaven," Sirius shot back, "Anyway, what about you Wormtail? Who are you gonna ask?"

"I have no idea", Peter replied, looking down at his plate and turning a shade of red.

"We'll get you someone. It's fine," said James, "And you, Remus?"

"I'm not sure yet," Lupin said questioningly but not particularly concerned.

"C'mon Moony, what about the cute Hufflepuff in Charms?" Sirius asked.

"Oh you mean Eleanor? I don't know. We're just friends," Lupin replied, "I'm not worried yet".

"Alright fine", said Sirius, losing interest in the conversation.

Just then, Lily sat down next to James with two of her friends, Catherine Carter and Grace Lin. She and James shared a quick kiss.

"Hey guys!" Lily said to the rest of the guys, "What's up?"

"We were just talking about the Yule Ball. Who's your date?" Sirius replied with a chuckle.

"Funny, funny," Lilly answered, "I could ask you the same".

"Helena," Sirius replied, "I didn't ask her yet but you know she'll say yes."

"Right, well just keep it down afterwards. I actually might want to get some sleep that night, "Lilly retorted.

"Yeah, you're one to talk!" Sirius exclaimed. James laughed and Lily looked slightly embarrassed but flashed a smile.

"Ugh, I love the Yule Ball. It's just so stressful waiting to get asked", Grace added, quickly glancing at Lupin who didn't seem to notice here. It was well known that Grace had a crush on Lupin.

"I need a date too," Peter added. Grace just shot him a disgusted look.

The group continued to talk about the Yule Ball, classes, and school gossip for the rest of dinner, cracking jokes and enjoying the rest of their night.

 _A few weeks have passed and it is now about 2 weeks until the Yule Ball. Sirius asked Helena to be his date and she agreed. Lupin still does not have a date and is dodging the question every time it's asked, but is still unconcerned. Peter doesn't have a date and has been moping around, assuming he won't find anyone who will say yes to his invitation. Currently, the guys are in the common room, planning the after party._

"Alright so like next Friday I'll probably sneak out of the castle with my cloak and go over to the Hogs Head to pick up the booze. Luckily Lupin's little time of the month happened last week so we don't have to worry about that. Have you been collecting the money from people who signed up?" asked James.

"Sure have," said Sirius, pulling a fat bag of coins out of his pocket.

"Excellent. This'll be one to remember" said James.

As James and Sirius planned their post Yule Ball festivities, Lupin sat by the fire reading a book and Peter listened eagerly.

"I still need a date. Go figure I'd be all alone for our last Yule Ball," Peter moped.

"Wormtail, relax. We will not let you go to the dance alone." James said

"Alright, well who'll go with me then?" Wormtail asked, concerned and slightly annoyed.

"First of all, you're in Gryffindor. Girls love that. Secondly, you're best mates with James Potter and Sirius Black. You will have a girl." Sirius said.

"Plus I date the hottest girl in the school. She has cute friends who live in her shadow and will be desperate for an in with our group." James added

"Desperate?" Peter repeated, sounding slightly hurt.

"You know what I meant. Anyway, do you want us to set you up with someone or not" replied James.

"Yes!" said Wormtail, forgetting that James had backhandedly insulted him a moment ago.

"Alright then don't worry. Right now worry about learning how to hold your liquor within the next two weeks. You remember last Yule Ball, don't you?" asked James.

"Yeah" said Wormtail, blushing. Last year, Peter had thrown up all over his date (also a set up) at the after party after only two shots of fire whiskey.

"Alright, Moony?" Sirius asked Remus, who had been sitting quietly the whole time.

"Yes, fine" Remus replied, marking his place in his book. For not having a date so close to the dance, he still seemed very unworried. Sirius just shook his head. He stopped trying to understand Remus's sometimes-strange behavior years ago.

"Alright well as Head Boy, it is my job to inform all of you that all the fourth through seventh years are due in the Great Hall in ten-minutes to discuss the rules in place for the Yule Ball. We better go so McGonagall isn't on my ass. It'll me it easier to get away with the after party," said James as the boys packed up their stuff and climbed through the portrait hole with other students making their way to the Great Hall.

 _All of the Hogwarts Fourth to Seventh Year students, those allowed to attend the Yule Ball, filed into the Great Hall. The long house tables were gone and instead, chairs were set up in rows facing the head table. All of the Heads of Houses were sitting at the Head Table, with McGonagall and Dumbledore standing in front of the table. Friend groups sat together and the buzz of chitchat spread across the room as the students waited for the assembly to begin._

"What an important meeting. I will feel so incomplete if I don't hear this information," said Sirius, sarcastically.

"There's Lily," said James, waving to her so she could see where he was seated. Lily and several of her girl friends joined them. James and Lily kissed. Sirius began flirting with one of Lily's friends, Lupin talked with another girl about a very difficult potions lesson they had just endured, and Peter was sitting awkwardly watching everyone.

Students kept filing into the Great Hall. A large group of Slytherins entered very loudly. Between the joking and shoving boys, walking off to the side sort of by himself was Severus Snape. He caught sight of James and Lily and quickly looked away.

"There's Snivellus. Look at his greasy hair. I don't know why he even bothered coming to this meeting; it's not like he'll have a date." James scowled.

"James, stop," Lily replied curtly.

"I don't know how you can defend him even after the horrible things he's said to you," replied James, indignantly.

Before Lily could reply, Dumbledore raised his arms to signal the beginning of the meeting. Everyone in the Great Hall fell silent.

"Ah, good evening everyone! We're here to discuss something very exciting! I know how much you all enjoy the Yule Ball, but like everything in life, this event comes with rules that must be followed. I'm going to turn this meeting over to Professor McGonagall now and she will gladly inform you of all the procedure you must follow when you attend our special event," said Dumbledore, much like he was discussing the weather and not opening a long and boring meeting.

"Thank you, Headmaster," replied Professor McGonagall with a much less cheery tone, "as you are all very well aware, the Yule Ball is coming up in a few weeks. As it has so happened in the past, we always have some trouble with the rules" McGonagall looked suspiciously towards James and Sirius.

"Anyway, we are about to go over the rules you are to follow on the night of the Yule Ball. I hope that no detentions need to be given out at the Ball.

Firstly, formal dress is required to attend this event. You need to wear dress robes. Also, when you and your date enter the Ball, you need to present your tickets. Tickets have been on sale all month, and will continue to be on sale until 3:00 p.m. on the day of the Yule Ball, so there are no excuses for saying you forgot to purchase one.

Next, you are, under no circumstance, permitted to show up to the Yule Ball under the influence of any substance, especially alcohol. We have had issues with this before," she looked right at Sirius, who last year began drinking at noon and fell asleep in his dinner plate when the Ball started, "if I or any other staff member fells that you are intoxicated, the consequences will be very serious."

Professor McGonagall went on about the rules, including table arrangements for dinner, policies for bringing anyone younger than fourth year as a date, and other routine information.

"Now, I am going to discuss something extremely important, so if you are not listening, you better start now. Every year, we have issues with unauthorized events held after the Ball ends, or 'after parties' I heard they're called. We will have none of this. After the Ball ends at midnight, you are to go back to your common rooms and go to bed. I have already told the school house elves that they are to report any excessive messes left behind in common rooms and other measures are in place to ensure these after parties do not happen, am I making myself very clear?" she added.

"Yes," all of the students replied dully.

"Further, under no circumstances are any students permitted to enter the dormitory of the opposite sex. Is that clear?"

"Yes"

"Well with that, are there any questions?" McGonagall finished. No one raised their hand. "Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes! Well you may now return to your common rooms! Sleep tight!" said Dumbledore. The sound of hundreds of people rising from their chairs filled the Great Hall.

"So how are we still going to have the after party with all these extra measures?" Peter asked James as they all headed to the entrance hall to return to Gryffindor tower.

"Relax Wormtail, they have these rules every year," replied James, unworried. Lupin rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, we are still having the after party. It's seventh year there's no way—ow! Hey watch it, you scum!" Sirius was cut off as Snape ran into him; both boys drew their wands.

"Maybe you should look where you're going rather than brag about your parties", said Snape coolly.

"Both of you knock it off!" exclaimed Lily. Snape glared and turned towards the dungeons while the rest of them pulled Sirius away and continued to the Gryffindor Tower.

 _With one week left until the Yule Ball, James has successfully snuck out of the castle to purchase alcohol for the after party. Lupin still doesn't seem to have a date, but still seems calm. Peter has begun to panic even more, as so far attempts to set him up with Lily's friends have failed. The Marauders are spending a free period in an empty classroom._

"God, I'm tired. I wish you and Lily could find a place to shag elsewhere. You guys are so loud," Sirius yawned.

"You're a wizard; cast a silencing spell", James replied unconcerned, playing with a snitch he took from the Quidditch pitch.

"Guys, I'm serious, how am I going to get a date?" Peter chimed in.

"We'll get you someone. A week is a long time," said James.

"Yeah, don't worry. We haven't asked anyone in second year yet!" Sirius exclaimed, laughing. James joined in with the joke while Lupin shot them both looks.

"Peter, you'll have a date that's _not_ in second year, don't listen to them," said Lupin.

"Well what about you? You don't have a date yet either," said Sirius to Lupin.

"Yeah you should probably hurry up. All the good girls are sure to be taken soon," added James.

"If you want, I could talk to Lucinda Talkalot for you. She's decent," said Sirius.

"No I'm fine," replied Lupin.

"How about Bertha Jorkins? She's stupid but I heard her mouth works wonders," James winked, elbowing Sirius. The two laughed.

"Elaine Caufield?"

"No"

"Theodora Dent?"

"No"

"Pam Stebbins?"

"No"

"C'mon Lupin you don't want to be stuck without anyone", said James "How about Grace, Lily's friend?"

"No, I told you guys! I don't need your help!" Lupin snapped, slamming the book he was reading shut, causing Peter to jump.

"Gee Moony, calm down. We just wanted to make sure you got a date," said Sirius.

"Well for your information, I have a date. Thank you very much," Lupin replied hotly.

"You do? Who? Why didn't you tell us?!" exclaimed James.

" I didn't think it was the whole world's business," said Lupin, reopening his book.

"You have to tell your best mates! Who is it?" prodded Sirius.

"You'll find out," said Lupin, trying to ignore them.

"Tell us now," said James.

"Yeah, come on Remus!" Peter chimed in.

"I'll be you don't want to tell us because you don't have anyone. You just don't want to be embarrassed," snarled Sirius.

"Julia Nott," Lupin looked up, "I'm taking Julia Nott, okay?"

"Who?" said Sirius.

"Julia Nott?" said James, surprised.

"Who is that?" Sirius asked James.

"You are taking _Julia Nott_ to the Yule Ball?" James asked again, sounding more and more surprised.

"Yes," said Lupin, calmly.

"Who is Julia Nott?" Sirius asked again.

"Why?!" James exclaimed.

"For your information, it's because I like her! This is why I wasn't going to tell you guys. I knew you would act like this!" exclaimed Lupin.

"WHO THE BLOODY HELL IS JULIA NOTT?!" Sirius now yelled.

"She a prefect with us. She's a Ravenclaw, fifth year," Lupin replied calmly.

"Well, what's wrong with her?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing," replied Lupin.

"Nothing? She looks like a frizzy mouse that got drowned in the lake and beat by the Womping Willow!" James exclaimed. Remus looked offended.

"So she's ugly?" Sirius asked

"Yes!" said James.

"No!" retorted Lupin.

"Alright," Sirius chuckled, "So tell me, Moony. How'd you get the lovely and vivacious Julia to agree to come to the Yule Ball with you?"

"She and I did prefect rounds together earlier in the year and we really hit it off. She's great. Smart. Kind. Thoughtful." Lupin explained, defending his choice of date.

"She's a little know-it-all. Fun-killer is what she is. I wouldn't be surprised if she went and told the teachers about the after party," James snarled.

"She would not do that!" Lupin replied, "I told her it was happening and she was fine with it. She is fun, you'll see!"

"Alright, fine" said James, looking away.

"Well look at that," said Sirius, chuckling again, "seems like we all have dates now but ole Wormtail. I guess we'll have to work on that one."

 _It's the day of the Yule Ball and excitement is buzzing around the school. Boys who couldn't get dates and girls who were not asked have all mysteriously disappeared to their rooms to sulk. Peter finally got a date with Lily's friend Catherine, but only because Catherine's original date caught dragon pox at the last minute. The Marauders are in their dormitory, getting ready for the dance before it is time for them to meet up with their dates._

James attempted, with no avail, to tame his wild hair in the mirror of the dormitory while Sirius was using a spell to get the wrinkles out of his dress robes and Lupin was tying his tie in a perfect knot. Peter was nervously pacing around the room, anxious to spend the whole night with a pretty girl like Catherine.

"Whatever, my hair is just going to be a mess," James gave up.

"It'll just get messy when you get in bed tonight," Sirius replied with a wink. The other boys chuckled.

"Yeah, I'll be Lily will be looking gorgeous tonight," James said dreamily.

"And I bet Helena will be wearing something low cut," Sirius added with a smirk, "I wonder if I'll make it all night without ripping her dress right off her."

"You're gonna have to with the amount of alcohol we have for the after party," said James as he began working on his necktie, "I'm predicting a real shit show.

"How about you, Moony? Are you gonna mess up your hair tonight?" Sirius said with a laugh

"I don't know," Lupin replied more seriously, "I don't want Julia to feel pressured."

"Remus, you said yourself that you don't want to leave Hogwarts a virgin. We only have six month left here. It's not or never!" said James.

"Yeah hasn't years of listening to James and me making girls moan gotten you just a little curious?" Sirius leered.

"It's not like that. I like Julia. I don't want to complicate things." Lupin said, sitting on the bed and staring off into thought.

"Alright whatever, your call," said James, "What about you Wormtail? Gonna get Catherine to come to bed with you?"

Sirius barked a laugh, finding this very entertaining. Even Lupin, who was normally more sympathetic to Peter, grinned at the unlikelihood of this happening. Peter looked like he could be sick.

"What time are you meeting Julia?" Sirius asked Lupin, pulling a bottle of gin out from under his mattress.

"In like fifteen minutes outside the Ravenclaw common room," Lupin replied, "Are you seriously going to pregame this even when they said they'd be watching out for this?"

"Hell yeah I am," replied Sirius, pouring a shot for each of the Marauders, "and you're having a shot before you leave this room"

Lupin rolled his eyes as he took the glass from his friends and swallowed back the gin. Better to just take the shot than argue with Sirius. James threw back his shot and Peter held his breath before taking his, his face already turning red from the tiny bit of alcohol.

"Alright well I better go meet Julia then. I'll see you guys in the entrance hall" said Lupin with a slight cough from the shot.

"Good luck!" said James

"Yeah go get 'em, you dog," Sirius added. The others laughed as Lupin left.

 _Lupin is waiting outside the Ravenclaw common room for Julia to meet him. He is nervous. He really likes Julia and wants this night to be perfect. He is hold a single rose to give to his date that he has bewitched to look like it is sparkling with a light coat of snow._

Lupin paced around the hallway, waiting for Julia to emerge. A few times, the door to the Ravenclaw common room has swung open, but so far none of those who stepped out have been Julia. Finally, the door opens and she steps out. Lupin is speechless.

"You, you look absolutely beautiful!" Lupin breathed, unable to take his eyes off the girl before him.

"Thank you," the short, petite girl that was Julia blushed.

Julia, who normally had frizzy, red brown hair had tamed her locks into a long shiny mane that glistened in the light. Normally with a face that wasn't the clearest, she looked as through her complexion belonged to a beauty queen. A dark turquois, strapless gown matched her hair wonderfully. She was wearing a pair of shining silver heels that made it easier for Lupin to see her chestnut colored eyes, gleaming with excitement.

"Well, er, are you ready?" Lupin asked. He couldn't wait to show off Julia to everyone in the castle.

"Yes," she replied, "You look very handsome by the way."

"Oh, thank you. You look much better." Lupin nervously replied.

The two made small talk as they made their way to the entrance hall, getting more and more comfortable on the way. By the time they had descended the marble staircase, they were joking and laughing just as the always had on their prefect rounds. Lupin caught sight of Lily's red hair and her equally red ball gown, and knew his friends were close by.

Remus and Julia made their way through the crowd, many stopping and staring at Julia as if they couldn't recognize her. Finally, they reached the rest of the Marauders and their dates.

James was wearing a well-tailored black tuxedo with a red tie that matched Lily's mermaid cut, form-fitting gown. Sirius wore a dark green suit that matched Helena's deep v cut gown. Sirius was right, she was wearing something very revealing. Peter wore ruffled looking plain black dress robes that did not match his date, Catherine's, pale pink princess cut gown at all. Catherine looked like she would rather be anywhere else and was doing her best to avoid touching Peter.

"Julia, you look stunning!" Lily was the first to see Julia and Lupin. Knowing Julia from also being a prefect, Lily was just as surprised to see the normally reserved girl's magnificent transformation.

"Thank you," Julia blushed even more, flattered that Lily Evans gave her such a compliment.

Everyone exchanged hellos and lined up to enter the Great Hall. Sirius and James both smelled strongly of the gin that Lupin assumed they had finished, but James was doing much better at hiding his drunkenness. Sirius was stumbling slightly and laughing heartily at stuff that was only slightly funny. Helena seemed to be just as drunk. Julia looked on, a little stunned.

"Don't mind them," Lupin told her, "They'll sober up at dinner." Julia smiled at him.

"Look there's Snape. I'll put a hex on him," said James, drawing his wand.

"Stop, that's the alcohol talking," Lily said, rolling her eyes and replacing his wand in his jacket pocket.

"Why is he walking over here? I just showered I don't need grease on me!" Sirius said rather loudly. Lupin was sure his volume was definitely due to the alcohol.

Snape approached the group. Everyone sneered at him and he returned the look.

"Hi, Lily. You look lovely," Snape said to Lily. The awkwardness for the two's falling out could still be felt.

"Oh. Thank you, Severus. Do have fun tonight." Lily replied, still kind to her former friend.

"Get put of here Snivellus, if you know what's good for you," James growled.

"I was planning on it. I didn't want to be suffocated by your enormous head taking up all the space," Snape replied coolly.

"Yeah, go back to your date. Oh yeah, you don't have one you're third wheeling on all your snotty friends," Sirius chimed in, getting his slurred words out with great difficulty.

"You might want to lay off the bottle there, you dog," Snape snarled at Sirius, "And maybe you should just head to bed after the Ball…if you know what's good for you".

"Yeah well the difference between you and me is that'll I'll have a smoke like this in my bed," Sirius pulled Helena against him. She clearly had no idea what was going on but stood tall in defense anyway, "and you'll just have your grimy hand".

Snape drew his wand, ready to strike, just as a rough voice snarled "NEXT!"

Mr. Filch called for the line to move forward. The Marauders and their dates were next. Snape slipped away and rejoined the group of Slytherins further back in the line.

"Alright, alright give me your tickets then," Filch said, glaring at the group and eyeing them suspiciously. Lupin could feel Julia clutch his hand harder. She was clearly nervous.

"Well, well there Black," Filch eyed Sirius suspicious, "You smell awful strongly of alcohol don't you. I think I better get Professor McGonagall over here".

But just then, a fourth year girl, the date of a Slytherin sixth year, vomited all over the entrance hall, causing Filch to let out a yelp and run over to the scene.

"Ugh, too much fire whiskey," said Lily looking at the girl and shaking her head. With Filch out of their way, the gang walked into the Ball to find their seats.

The Great Hall was decorated magnificently. The ceiling were bewitched to appear as if thousands of shining icicles were hanging down, and snow danced around. Dozens of Christmas trees, each the size of a giant, lined the walls. The floor was magically transformed to appear as though guests were walking on a frozen lake. The long house tables were replaced with dozens and dozens of circular tables, each covered with a pure white tablecloth and adorned with a magnificent ice sculpture centerpiece.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Julia exclaimed, looking at the Great Hall in amazement. Remus looked at her and smiled; ready to spend the night with the girl he wanted to be with the most.


	2. Chapter 2

_Everyone had fun at the Yule Ball but was excited to get to the after parties being held. Lupin and Julia had a great time together, dancing, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. James and Lily also had fun dancing and dodging teachers who tried to pull them apart as they snogged in the middle of the dance floor. Catherine did her best to avoid Peter the entire time, third wheeling on Lily and all her other friends. Sirius and Helena were promptly asked to leave and both assigned detentions when neither of them was able to stand without falling so they returned to the common room to wait for everyone else. James and Sirius, who secretly sneak into the kitchens frequently to snag extra food, have gained the trust of many house elves who they had secretly set up for the after party in the Gryffindor Common room while everyone was at the Ball._

The Gryffindor common room was, for the time being, calm. It was decorated smartly with Christmas decorations and enchanted snow. However, a long table lined with dozens and dozens of liquor bottles masked any decorations. There was gin, fire whiskey, rum, and any other kind of alcohol imaginable. A bowl was filled with a spiked punch and Jell-O shots sat waiting. Sirius and Helena were slumped on a couch by the fire place, passing the time until the beginning of the after party by making out, only pausing occasionally to laugh at some drunken nonsense. Then, the portrait hole swung open and the room filled with rowdy Gryffidors and their dates, ready to get the real party start.

"Heeeey! Get up you two let's go!" James exclaimed as he stumbled through the portrait hole, Lily giggling in his wake.

Following James and Lily was a disgruntled looking Catherine, who snapped her hand away when Peter tried to grab it to help her through the portrait hole. Following them was Lupin and Julia, hand in hand. Surely enough, the rest of Gryffindor house and their dates from other houses started filing it. The dates not from Gryffindor looked around curiously, most of them never having been in the cozy Gryffindor common room.

"Oh, wow," said Julia, looking around the room, "How are they hiding this from the teachers and younger students?"

"Well, James and Sirius took care of that," Lupin replied, "When younger kids start down the stairs to the common room, they placed a jinx that will make them suddenly very sleepy so they'll go back to bed and fall right to sleep. As far as the teachers go, James has Peeves distracting them and paid a second-year 5 galleons to keep watch".

Just as Lupin finished his explanation, music started blaring from the corner of the room, and everyone started dancing and drinking. People were playing drinking games, chugging from bottles, and having a good time. Lupin and Julia looked over to see Sirius and Helena dancing on one of the tables, pulling up others to join them.

"Oh, that's interesting," said Julia, laughing at all the revelry. She seemed to be having a good time.

"Yeah it was only a matter of time until those two got up on a table," Lupin chuckled, "Anyway, would you like a drink?"

"Oh, eh, well I don't know," Julia replied sheepishly.

"I mean, you don't have to! I was just offering! I was just going to go get one for myself…if that's ok with you?" Lupin hastily replied.

"No, no! It's not that I don't want one, I do! It's just…well…I've never drank alcohol before," Julia said, looking embarrassedly at the floor.

"Oh, oh!" Lupin said, relieved, "Well that's fine I didn't drink until about 5th year either! Do you want something? You'll be fine. I mean, you don't have to though! I don't want to pressure you."

"Remus," Julia giggled, "you aren't pressuring me. Yes, I'd like a drink. What do you recommend?"

Lupin smiled ruefully down at his date with a hint of red in his face from his overreaction.

"Well since it's gonna be your first time—drinking, I mean—your first time drinking, I would recommend something not too strong. Maybe some of the punch it wouldn't be straight alcohol" Lupin told her.

"What's fire whisky like?" Julia asked

"Oh, it's pretty strong. I don't know if you—"

"I want to try fire whiskey", Julia confidently cut Lupin off.

"Oh ok, well then let's go," replied Remus, leading her towards the bar where James and Lily were taking shots.

"Hey, hey! There they are!" James exclaimed, clearly intoxicated, "What're you drinking?"

"Just give us two shots of fire whiskey," replied Lupin, reaching for the bottle.

"Oh that's what I like to hear! Let's get in on this one, Lily." James replied, pouring a shot for all four of them.

"Alright, Lupin there chap, make a toast," James laughed, Lily giggling as he was slightly spilling from his shot glass.

"Alright, er, to new beginnings!" Lupin toasted, as the four threw back the shots.

Julia gaged slightly, having just taken her first shot, but quickly recovered and smiled.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked with the concern only possible from a drunk girl.

"Yes, fine! I'd like another, please!" Julia exclaimed. The others laughed and Lupin poured another round.

 _The after party continued on into the night. Julia kept drinking, surprising Lupin with how well she had been holding her liquor with it being her first time drinking. Sirius and Helena were by far the drunkest couple there, James and Lily having to pull them apart as they tried to undress one another in plain view. Peter had drank too much of the spiked punch and threw up all over Catherine's pink ball gown. He profusely apologized, to no avail, as she stormed up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Catherine did not come back to the party. The party was starting to wind down, but many couples remained, drinking the last of the alcohol and singing along to the music James and Lupin were picking out._

"Ay, play this!" James said, putting an old record onto the player. The partygoers cheered and sang along with the well-known, upbeat tune.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Lupin was surprised that yet again, for their last ever Yule Ball, James pulled it off again without getting caught. This, Remus thought to himself, was one of the best nights he's had in a long time.

However, Lupin's dreamy thoughts were cut off abruptly when the portrait hole slammed open and a boy came climbing in. It took a second, in his drunken state, before Lupin recognized him as the boy James had paid to keep guard.

"They're coming! Teachers! McGonagall, Slughorn, and some others!" the boy exclaimed, out of breath. Everyone looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Well, what are you all waiting for? Run!" James yelled to those left at the party.

Everyone dashed up the steps to the dormitories as quickly as possible. Lupin hurriedly turned off the music as James and Lily quickly worked spells to magically make the decorations, bottles, and mess disappear. Sirius jumped in to try to help but in his drunkenness, he could not get the proper incantation out and ended up sending himself flying backwards, slamming into the wall. He just sat, slumped in a heap. Just as the cleanup had been finished, everyone but Sirius who remained, seemingly content in a pile on the floor, skidded into the chairs around the fire. Just as Lupin ran over and crashed onto the couch with Julia, the portrait hole swung open again.

"And just what exactly is—Potter, what is this?" McGonagall looked at the group with suspicious eyes. Following her were Professors Slughorn and Dumbledore.

"Oh hi, Professor. After the ball we came up here and started a game of wizards' chess and gobbstones. We were just drinking some tea before bed" James lied expertly.

"Tea?" asked McGonagall, still suspicious, "and where are you mugs?"

"Oh, we already gave them to a house elf to take back to the kitchens" Lily joined in.

"Right," said McGonagall, still suspicious but with no evidence to accuse them by, "and what about Black, then?" she pointed at Sirius, still in a heap on the floor.

"Oh yes, well he isn't feeling well. Maybe the flu," James replied.

"And wasn't he asked to leave the Yule Ball and assigned detention because he was intoxicated?" McGonagall pressed on.

"Now, now Minerva. It's clear that these children are doing nothing wrong! I think we should just retire to our own beds. It is late, you know." Dumbledore spoke up with a twinkle in his eye.

"Professor Dumbledore, these students all smell of alcohol!" McGonagall retorted.

"And I had a student specifically tell me that these boys were planning something against the rules," Slughorn added.

"Well, perhaps that student just wished to get these young men into trouble" said Dumbledore, "All of you, off to your beds I believe! Make sure Mr. Black is feeling better and Mr. Lupin, you may kindly walk Miss Nott back to her common room when you are ready"

"Yes, Professor" they all replied in unison.

"And you, Miss Evans, please do watch yourself! I don't like to hear bad rumors about such a bright young lady like you!" Slughorn added.

"Horace, I believe that's enough. We have no further business in here" said Dumbledore, and the three of them left the room.

There was a pause as everyone looked at each other, incredibly shocked with what they had just gotten away with.

" .close." James said, standing up and stretching, "Fun while it lasted, c'mon Lily let's go to bed". He pulled her up off the couch and the two headed towards the dormitory room.

"Helena, you gonna, _hic_ , come with me to bed, _hic"_ Sirius cold hardly get out through his drunkenness.

"Yeah, let's go" Helena laughed at him as she helped him up off the floor. Peter sulked off behind them.

"Well, I guess you should walk me back now," said Julia, turning to Lupin, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"You can stay…If you want to, of course!" Lupin added quickly

"Really? You, you wouldn't mind" Julia stuttered.

"No, of course I wouldn't! You're more than welcome. No one is probably going to bed yet they'll probably hang out and drink in the room then I'm sure they be, well, anyway" Lupin replied.

"Oh, well. I haven't got clothes for the morning or anything." Julia said

"We can summon them. It's a pretty straight shot from your tower to our. Or I'm sure Lily would let you borrow something. But only if you want to. Don't feel like you have to stay" said Lupin.

"No, I do. I want to stay" Julia said, this time much more firmly. Lupin smiled at her as he took her hand and led her to the dormitory.


	3. Chapter 3

_When they entered the boys' dormitory, everyone else was already settled in, drinking what was left of the alcohol from the after party. Lily and James were cuddled on James' bed with a bottle. Sirius and Helena were lounging by the woodstove in the center of the room. Peter was sulking in his bed, alone, watching everyone else. Everyone had changed out of their formal wear and were dressed in much more comfortable clothes. Lily was wearing one of James' Quidditch t-shirts and sweatpants that must have been his, as they were several sizes too big for her. Helena was wearing one of Sirius t-shirts that advertised a Muggle band as a nightgown. The boys had all changed into their pajamas._

"There they are" said James, drunkenly as Lupin and Julia entered the dormitory. Julia smiled sheepishly at everyone. She had never spent the night in any boy's room before and was nervous, as she knew she was breaking plenty of school rules in doing so.

The rest of the group continued talking and laughing, recounting the events of the night as Julia turned to Lupin.

"I don't have anything to wear to bed," she said slowly and cautiously.

"That's ok, you can wear something of mine…if that's ok," Lupin added quickly at the end.

"Oh, yes thank you," Julia replied, sounding relieved as Lupin dug around in his wardrobe and produced lounge pants and a plain t-shirt for Julia.

"I hope this is okay," he said, handing the clothes to her.

"Of course," said Julia, taking the clothes with a smile. Lupin showed her the bathroom so she could change out of her ball gown and into nightclothes.

As Julia, was putting on Lupin's clothes, she noticed they smelled like him. Even though she was nervous to be hanging out with older people who were not in her house, this was comforting to her. She thought about how she's never worn a boy's clothes before. In fact, when it came to boys, there was not much that she had done before. She had only ever kissed one boy one time, a Huflepuff in her year during an awkward date at Hogsmead. She felt a little overwhelmed, as tonight she was about to share a bed with a boy two years older that was part of a popular group. She really liked Remus and didn't want to mess anything up. Just as she finished pulling his shirt over her head, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Are you alright in there?" it was Lupin. He sounded a little concerned, but mostly comforting.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Be out in a minute!" Julia called back.

"See, I told you she wasn't getting sick you prick. That girl can handle her liquor by the looks of it!" she heard Sirius slur at Lupin. A smile jumped across her face at this unintentional compliment.

Before, stepping out of the bathroom to join the others, Julia looked at her new outfit in the mirror. She was swimming in the pants and the shirt went almost to her knees. She stepped out of the bathroom. Lupin was lounging on his bed, sipping a butterbeer. He had another unopened bottle waiting for her on the nightstand. She took a deep breath and went over to join him in the bed.

"Julia, you looked gorgeous tonight! Where did you get your dress?" Lily asked as Julia sheepishly took her place next to Remus. Either he was too drunk to recognize her slight awkwardness or pretended not to notice, as he pulled her against himself into a tight but comfortable cuddle. She'd never been so close to a guy before.

"Thank you!" Julia replied, beginning to relax, "my grandmother made it for me."

"Wow, she's talented!" Lily replied. Julia, now feeling much more comfortable, opened her own butterbeer and began sipping on it.

The whole group, now including Lupin and Julia in their conversation, reminisced on the night and marveled at how they had gotten away with the after party. Peter continued to sulk in his bed. Once, Julia could feel butterflies in her stomach as Remus absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her softly on the head.

Finally, as the night went on, everyone began to wind down. Peter fell asleep in his bed long before anyone else. Sirius and Helena began talking amongst themselves, their kisses becoming longer and more frequent. Eventually, they pulled the curtains around Sirius's bed. James and Lily wished everyone good night and pulled the curtains to James' bed.

"Well, bed time I guess," Lupin said with a yawn, pulling his own curtains. Julia settled in, nervous for what would happen. She knew Remus would never do anything she was uncomfortable with, but the newness of the whole situation had her feeling anxious. After he had finished pulling the curtains, he settled in beside her and pulled her in to cuddle him.

"You're beautiful," Lupin whispered into Julia's ear, kissing her gently on the forehead.

"Thank you," she replied, happy the room was dark and her blush couldn't be seen. Before she could say anything else, the sound of moaning and a bed creaking picked up in the room.

"Silencio", Lupin pointed his wand, almost routinely in the direction of the others' bed, "sorry about that, it's typical". Julia laughed nervously. She had certainly never been in the room with a couple having sex before.

"Honestly, who knows which one of them it was. I swear they have a competition to see who can be louder", Lupin added, Julia didn't know how to reply. She was feeling nervous that Remus would get ideas from his friends. However, she wasn't sure whether or not she would object. She felt very comfortable with him.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," Julia said, wanting to change the subject away from sex.

"I did too. You were the best date I could have asked for," Lupin replied, kissing her on the cheek. Again, she could feel her face getting red.

For a moment, they laid together in silence, Remus softly running his fingers up and down her arm. She loved the way his touch felt. She shifted in bed, turning so they two were lying face to face.

"So, what'd you think of the after party?" he asked her.

"It was a lot of fun! I've never been to anything like it," she replied.

"Yeah James and Sirius did a really good job with that. It seemed like a lot of people had dates from other houses there," he said.

"Yeah, I saw quite a few Ravenclaws. Some of our seventh years were having a party but it was supposed to be much smaller. I think they're afraid of getting in trouble", she answered.

"Typical", Lupin replied with playful sarcasm. Everyone knew Ravenclaws loved following the rules.

"Hey!" Julia laughed, faking offense at his dig on her house. She nudged him in the side. He returned her nudge tickling her stomach. The two continued their pretend fight when, before she even knew what was going on, Remus kissed her on the lips.

This kiss was much different than the only other one she'd had. His kiss was soft but confident, teasing for more. They pulled apart and he looked into her eyes. She grinned, wishing he hadn't stopped. He grinned at her and leaned back in, kissing her again.

This time, Julia was ready for it and kissed Lupin back. Being inexperienced, she didn't really know what she was doing, but he must have liked it because he replied by parting his lips even more, allowing his tongue to tease her lips apart as well. She could feel his tongue slowly make contact with hers, teasing her for more. She didn't want this moment to end.

Lupin must have felt Julia lean into him more because his hands began to wander. He moved slowly to the hem of the shirt she was wearing, sliding his hands gently underneath so he was holding onto the bare skin of her waist. She instinctively began to do the same to him. Wasting no time, Lupin ripped his shirt off from over his head. Julia was surprised but didn't want to stop.

As they continued passionately kissing, Lupin moved his kiss away from Julia's lips and to her neck. She let out a slight moan. She'd never felt anything like this before. His hands began to wander higher up her torso. She rolled over on her back as he continued to kiss her neck, climbing on top of her. She could feel him hard through his pajama pants, his boner rubbing against her noticeably.

He began to tug at the hem of her t-shirt. Julia pulled away slightly, not because she didn't want him to take it off but because she was nervous. No guy had ever seen her undressed.

"Is it okay?", Lupin whispered in her ear, noticing that her body language had changed, "you don't have to."

"No, it's fine," she breathed, "I want you to."

Lupin wasted no time gently pulling her shirt over her head. He sat back on his knees and took in her body. This made Julia nervous; she couldn't read his reaction.

"You're beautiful," he whispered as he began kissing her bare stomach. His warm lips felt amazing against the cold air that swept over her exposed skin. Julia didn't know what to do. She wasn't prepared to go much further, but she did not want to stop. Remus made her feel so comfortable and she couldn't believe how much more attracted she had become to him in these past few minutes.

He continued to kiss all over her body and she could feel him getting even harder against her. His hand moved down, towards the waistband of her pants. His hand made it inside the pajamas she had on, rubbing her through her panties. Her thoughts were lost in how good it felt.

Not really knowing what to do, she instinctively reached towards the very noticeable bulge in his pants. She could feel his rock hard boner twitch at her touch. She had never touched a guy like this before and was very curious about what was under his pants. Lupin threw his head back at her touch, moaning quietly. They continued exploring each other's bodies when suddenly, Remus pulled away from her. As he sat back, she could see his full body for the first time. He was thin, but not in way that made him unimpressive. His muscles, although not all that large, were lean and toned. She could tell that he was starting to grow some chest hair, but it was patchy in parts where he had a series of deep scars. She was curious how he had gotten those but now was obviously not the time to ask.

"Answer me honestly, are you trying to go all the way tonight? Please be honest because I do not want you to feel like you need to do anything you aren't ready for, but if you're not trying to have sex we need to stop," he said, looking up and down her body. She could tell he wanted more.

"I…we can," she replied. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint him.

"No I'm serious. Do you actually want to? Because you hesitated," he said back.

"I…"

"Be honest. All I care about right now is you being comfortable".

"That was not my intention at all," she admitted "I'd never even made out with a guy before this I'm sorry I just don't know if I'm ready".

"That's perfectly fine, don't apologize." Lupin replied, rolling over next to her on the bed. He casually slumped his arm across her into a loose cuddle as he took a deep breath of relaxation.

"I feel bad. Is that what you wanted?" Julia didn't know what to do. She liked him a lot and didn't want this to ruin her chances.

"No, not at all! I mean I wouldn't have said no but I don't want you to feel like you need to do anything you don't want to do," he reassured her. It wasn't working too well apparently, as Julia stared conflicted up at the ceiling.

"Listen, Julia. No look at me," he gently turned her head towards him by her chin so they were inches apart, looking into each other's eyes, "my intention was not to have sex with you. My intention was to spend the night with an awesome girl and I accomplished that hours ago. Do not feel like you owe me anything, because you don't."

Julia unintentionally let out a sigh of relief. Lupin grinned at her.

"I was just nervous that you'd want to. I'm sorry if I'm being awkward," she said emotionally.

"You're not being awkward! I'm glad you told me the truth because much more of that and I don't think I'd have been able to stop" he replied. She didn't really know how to respond to this new information.

"I don't know I just figured that, you know, having sex would be kind of like normal for you after something like this," she replied. She was glad she felt completely comfortable with being honest with him.

"Normal? Oh, Oh! No it's not like that at all," he replied.

"What do you mean?" she was confused. Remus was part of the popular crowd of seventh years, he had tons of female friends, was cute, and extremely kind. She didn't get it.

"You think I get a ton of girls," he replied with a laugh, "no I'm a virgin."

"You are a virgin?" Julia replied skeptically. Part of her though he was lying to impress her.

"Yeah, I am," he said matter-of-factly, "I mean sure I've made out with some girls, fooled around a little but I'm 100% a virgin".

"Really?" she could tell he was being genuine but part of her still couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, I mean I guess you probably think because of who I'm friends with I wouldn't be" it was like he read her mind.

"Well…yeah, kind of", she said.

"Yeah, no," he chuckled, "I'm waiting for the right girl to come along. I want it to be special. Not just with anyone."

"Really?" she replied again, feeling more and more relieved. They seemed to be on the same page as far as sex came.

"Yeah, I mean sometimes James and Sirius will tease me about it but they know I don't just want to lose my virginity just to say I did," he said, tucking a loose piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Wow, um. I'm actually so glad to hear that," she admitted.

"Really?" he replied, intrigued.

"Yeah, I feel like none of the guys here think that way about sex. That's how I feel too, you know. Waiting for the right person."

"Well I'm glad to hear that too," he replied, "because I feel like none of the girls here think like that either".

They paused and looked at each other. He grinned at her and leaned in for a soft kiss.

"Really, you're amazing" he said.

"I'm blushing," she again admitted with a giggle.

"You are. I'm lucky you let me take you to the ball tonight and I'm very lucky to have you here with me right now".

"I had an amazing time with you," she replied.

"I did with you, too" he replied, smiling at her. The two cuddled in closer to one another, occasionally kissing and talking about their night, their classes, prefect duty, and anything under the sun until they both drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.


	4. Chapter 4

_Julia awoke early the next morning with Remus's arm still draped over her. He was still asleep, breathing heavily. As far as Julia could tell from behind the pulled curtains of the four-poster, everyone else was still asleep. Julia's stomach was extremely upset and her mouth was completely dry. She was experiencing her first hangover._

Julia sat up in bed, prepared to dash towards the bathroom. She did not feel well at all and assumed it was from drinking the night before. She looked over at Remus. He was still peacefully asleep. If she weren't trying to keep herself from throwing up, she would have taken the time to admire how cute he looked. Her thoughts were instantly disrupted by her near certainty that she was about to puke. She jumped out of the bed, barely able to steady herself, and ran to the bathroom just in time to throw up in the toilet. The fire whiskey didn't taste so great coming back up.

When she had finished gagging, she groggily grabbed her toothbrush and cleaned out her mouth. She was embarrassed to go back to bed with Remus having just thrown up, but she was too hungover to try and make it back to Ravenclaw tower. Her only choice was to go back to bed.

When she opened the door to the bathroom, she figured she must have woken the others as she could now hear them gently stirring. She instantly felt guilty. She crawled back into Remus's bed and was too tired to redraw the curtain she had ripped open to make it to the bathroom in time.

"Are you okay?" Lupin rolled over and asked her, sleepily. His hair was a mess.

"Yeah, I mean. I don't know. I just threw up," Julia said, embarrassedly.

Surprisingly, Remus did not look disgusted at all. He chuckled. "Yeah it's okay don't feel bad. Sirius is probably going to puke when he wakes up".

"Really?" Julia replied, surprised. She didn't realize experienced drinkers also got sick.

"Yeah don't worry; it happens to at least one of us every time there's a party", Lupin reassured her as he wrapped her into a tight cuddle. Julia suddenly felt much better knowing she had nothing to be embarrassed of.

As Julia settled back in, Lily slowly opened the curtains of James's bed. Lily also looked extremely hungover. She squinted as she slowly sat up, with her legs hanging off the bed.

"Oh my god shut that curtain the light is hurting my brain," James's muffled mutter came from inside the bed. Julia and Lupin snickered in bed. Last night was Julia's first party and this morning was her first time seeing the aftermath of such celebration.

"Relax I have to go to the bathroom," Lily mumbled back. She stumbled as she stood up.

"Are you still drunk?" James asked, amused.

"I don't know, shut up," Lily shot back as her boyfriend laughed.

As Lily carefully made her way to the bathroom, Sirius's curtains also pulled open. Helena rolled over questioningly, wondering why everything was suddenly so bright. She had the blankets pulled up to her neck. It was pretty obvious she was wearing nothing under them.

"Who's in the loo?" Sirius muttered. He seemed to be in the worst shape of them all.

"Lily," James replied with a yawn.

"Oi, hurry up in there I need to pull the trigger," Sirius shouted towards the bathroom. Julia, who did not know what 'pull the trigger' meant, looked at Lupin questioningly.

"He's gonna make himself throw up," Lupin explained quietly as he could tell Julia was slightly embarrassed by her inexperience in partying. Julia looked back at him, seemingly horrified by this news.

"It's fine," Lupin grinned, "some people do it when they're hungover because it makes them feel better a lot sooner. I'm personally not a fan but it's Sirius's go to"

Peter also opened his curtains with all this commotion. He looked slightly better than the rest, having thrown up all his liquor on Catherine the previous night.

As soon as Lily opened the bathroom door, Sirius pushed her aside and closed it again. Lily, looking slightly disgusted but also amused, cast a silencing charm towards the door. Everyone laughed.

"You'll thank me later. He's loud" Lily explained to a confused Julia. After several minutes, Sirius finally emerged, looking shaken but slightly more energetic.

"Literally, so hung over. I cannot remember anything from like, walking into the Yule Ball until coming back into the room" Sirius said to no one in particular as he rummaged through his trunk for something.

"Yeah, you were crazy. I don't know how you didn't get in more trouble than just getting told to go home from the ball," James chimed in, as he recounted the night's events, embellishing a little at the part where the teachers broke up the after party. Sirius was completely amused to hear about his actions from the previous night. In the mean time, Lupin had conjured water for everyone, which they drank greedily to soothe their dry mouths and sore heads.

Julia took a closer look at what Sirius was doing. It appeared that he was grinding up some sort of plant and stuffing it into a sort of glass object. No one else seemed slightly confused by this, and Julia didn't want to ask what was going on. Sirius pointed the end of his wand at the opening of glass pipe he was holding and lit it slightly on fire. Julia realized he was smoking something. She put two and two together and realized he must be smoking marijuana—some sort of Muggle drug that was catching on in the Wizarding world too. Julia had never seen anyone do it, but she knew plenty of Hogwarts students did. She didn't know how comfortable she was with this, but didn't say anything.

Sirius passed the glass thing to Helena, who repeated his actions. Helena passed it to Lily who (to Julia's surprise) also smoked from it, who passed it to James. After James repeated their actions, he held out the bowl to Julia.

"Do you want to smoke, Julia?" James asked.

"I…I don't know. I've never done it. I don't even really know what you're doing," she nervously admitted. This is the first time James, Head Boy, Gryffindor Quidditch star, and overall most popular guy in school, ever addressed her directly.

"It's fine, don't worry!" James replied. Julia, although she was unsure why, was surprised that he didn't mock her.

"It really helps with your hangover. It's not even really that bad for you," Lily chimed in. She explained to Julia that the glass object was called a bowl and that the user was to gently suck in the smoke from the bowl when it lit on fire. Julia had never even considered taking illegal potions or doing any of the Muggle drug fads that came and went at Hogwarts, but something about Lily Evans explaining it like it was so normal made her want to try it.

"Er…okay, I'll try," Julia decided. She was genuinely curious. James handed her the bowl, which she took carefully. "I don't really know what to do".

"Here, I'll help you," James said, kindly. Julia was surprised at how helpful he was. James explained to her how to hold the bowl. "You just worry about getting the smoke; I'll light it and everything."

James lit the tip of his wand.

"Suck in, suck, suck, suck," James coached her.

"Yeah, that what Lupin was saying last night," Sirius smirked. Everyone laughed as Lupin rolled his eyes. Julia, to even her surprised, wasn't offended and smiled as she inhaled the smoke. So far she actually liked Remus's friends.

While she was thinking about Sirius's joke and not really paying attention to what she was doing, Julia realized her mouth was full of the smoke. She wanted to let it out but before she did, James continued his coaching.

"Okay, now breathe in slowly," She obliged, feeling her lungs get hot. She didn't know what to do, "Let it out".

She was surprised at the cloud of smoke that came from her mouth and nose, but was even more surprised at her overwhelming urge to cough. She coughed harder than she ever had in her life and couldn't stop.

"You're fine!" and "You did good!" and other praised from the group filled the air as Lupin handed her a water and patted her on the back, smiling. She happily handed the bowl over to him.

"That was good! It's okay, the first time I did it I though I would never stop coughing," Lily said as Julia's coughs got less and less severe. Lupin lit up the bowl for himself, took a hit, and passed it to Peter.

The group continued to pass the bowl and reminisce on the Yule Ball. Julia was surprised with how well she was getting along with all of Remus's friends. Sure, she had her own group of friends in her year but they were mostly only concerned with school. This group proved you could care about learning, and still have fun. For once at Hogwarts, Julia felt like she was fully relaxed, not worrying about exams, and enjoying herself.

Some time passed as the group hung out and recovered from their hangovers. Eventually, Julia started thinking about the work she needed to get done before holiday break and asked Lupin to take her home. Lily let her borrow some sweats and a t-shirt and told her to bring them back whenever she had the chance. As Lupin and Julia walked back to Ravenclaw tower, hand in hand, she could not help but think how much she enjoyed her time with him. Before they knew it, they were back to Ravenclaw Tower and it was time for them to part ways.

"Remus, thank you for everything." Julia said, hugging Lupin.

"Of course," Lupin replied, "it was fantastic"

The two kissed goodbye, not wanting to leave one another.

"Listen. Let's hang out again really soon. Want to study together this week?" Lupin asked Julia.

"Of course!" she replied. She was hoping he wanted to continue to see her.

"Awesome, we have prefect rounds together tomorrow. James showed me the new schedule so we can plan a time then!" he replied.

Now much happier that they were going to spend more time together, Julia was a little more willing to say goodbye to Lupin. They both parted their separate ways, smiling ear to ear as they walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Since the Yule Ball, Lupin and Julia have hung out with one another frequently. In fact, one of the only nights they didn't hang out somehow since, whether studying together, taking walks, or just relaxing during free periods, was the day Lupin had to transform. He had James tell Julia that Lupin was sick in bed with a highly contagious bug and she didn't think twice about this story to question it, as Remus did look slightly weak when she had seen him. Now, with Lupin's transformation out of the way, everyone was enjoying one last Hogsmeade weekend before the holiday break. Everyone was bustling around the village, purchasing last minute gifts and enjoying time with their friends before they parted ways until the term resumed. James, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter planned on spending their day drinking in the Three Broomsticks. The pub was crowded with students and had been decorated festively for the holidays./em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" /em/p  
p class="MsoNormal""My parents said anyone who wants to come visit over the holiday can. We should have a New Years Party", James was informing his friends as they sat at the bar of the Three Broomsticks, all enjoying drinks. They were several drinks into their daylong outing and had no plans of leaving the cozy pub to venture out into the shops that lined the snowy streets./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""You know I'll be there the whole time so I'm down," said Sirius. Last summer he had not returned home and had moved in with the Potters. He planned to spend the entire holiday with them as well as they were whom he considered his real family./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Right well you guys just ask your parents and come whenever," James told Remus and Peter, "I already looked, the full moon isn't anywhere New Years so Moony'll be good"./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Ay, Rose can I get another drink?" Sirius signaled the barmaid Rosmerta, a very pretty girl slightly older than them. It wasn't much of a secret that Sirius and Rosmerta had hooked up on several occasions. Sometimes he borrowed James's invisibility cloak to sneek to Hogsmeade and meet up with Rosmerta when it fancied him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Sure, baby. How are you guys?" Rosmerta turned her attention to the Marauders. As frequent customers of the Three Broomsticks, they were all on friendly terms with her. They all extended their greetings./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""You look nice today," Sirius said to Rosmerta with a wink. She was wearing her usual bar uniform that showed quite a bit of cleavage./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks Sirius, no discounts for flattery though," she smirked at him. His friends laughed, teasing him for his failed attempt, "Anyway, where's your girlfriend James?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Shopping, she and her friends are coming when they're done," James replied as he finished his drink and Rosmerta passed him a new one./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""That's fun. And I heard the Yule Ball was a good time too. I loved the Yule Ball, one of my favorite parts about Hogwarts," Rosemerta reminisced./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""It was a good time," Sirius said, "and ole Lupin over here took his new flame"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Remus! You have a girlfriend?" Rosemerta had always known him to be not socially inept but shy and less concerned with girls than his friends./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""She's not my girlfriend. She's a friend," Lupin blushed./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Come off it, you two are always together these days!" Sirius retorted./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Who is this lucky lady?" Rosmerta inquired./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Julia Nott you probably don't know her. Fifth year Ravenclaw. She doesn't really come here during Hogsmeade weekends but she said she might come today" Lupin replied./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Hey! Hey! Gonna be a party in here!" Sirius replied as Lupin rolled his eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Meanwhile, Julia and her friends, also Ravenclaw fifth year girls, were shopping around Hogsmeade's bookstore. Julia had mentioned to her friends that she wanted to meet up with Remus later, but they weren't thrilled at the idea. Her friends thought that Remus and his friends were a bad influence on Julia, as she drank and did drugs with them for the first time. Also, they weren't too fond of the amount of time Julia had been spending with Remus lately. Hanging out with new people was helping Julia come out of her shell, but they say it as her changing and weren't too pleased. /em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" /em/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Come on guys, we don't have to stay too long. We can just go to the Three Broomsticks for a few drinks, say hi, and head back to the castle," Julia tried again to convince her friends Meredith and Greta./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""I'm not too keen about spending the afternoon in a bar. You know what kind of obnoxious people hang out there," Meredith replied as she looked through a book. Julia had a feeling she was implying that people like Remus and his friends hung out in bars./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""It'll just be for a little bit!" Julia tried to push back. She was about to ditch her friends and go alone./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""What's with you and drinking all of the sudden?" Greta asked, "You never used to care about drinking"./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""I don't care about drinking! I just want to stop in and say hi. I told Remus I would," Julia replied shortly in frustration./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""I don't really care to spend the rest of my Hogsmeade weekend with James Potter and Sirius Black," said Meredith, uninterested./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""I've already told you, they aren't bad at all. They're nice guys!" Julia replied, getting angry./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, real nice when they hex people out of nowhere. They're just a couple of dumb jocks that think the world worships them" Greta rolled her eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Please just come with me, you two. I promise if you don't like it we can leave," Julia pleaded./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Ugh, alright" Meredith replied. Greta crossed her arms, looking extremely sour./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Back at the Three Broomsticks, Lily and her friends had joined the guys. James had ordered a round of fire whiskey shots for everyone. The group of guys and girls were gathered around the bar talking, laughing, and drinking. Lily sat next to James, his hand draped across her knee. Lupin chatted with Grace and Catherine. Lily's friend Mary, who also had previously hooked up with Sirius, sat watching him flirt with Rosmerta with a hint of jealousy on her face. Peter tried, with no success, to talk to Catherine for the first time after the incident at the Yule Ball. /em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" /em/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Hey," James said quietly just to Lily to get her attention./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Hi there," Lily giggled back. She had charged several drinks to James's tab./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Did you have fun today?" James asked. He loved hanging out with everyone but sometimes he just wanted to worry about his girlfriend and none of the other debauchery going on around them./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, I got myself some new clothes, got my parents some Honeydukes stuff to put in their Christmas stockings, and I got Petunia a plant from the Herbology shop. I hope she doesn't throw this Christmas gift away." Lily answered. James kissed her on the cheek./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Are you going to be able to come to my place at all over break? We were thinking about having a New Year's party. I'd love to have you there" James said to her./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Of course, I'll just have to tell my parents. Who all are you having?" she replied./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""I don't know yet. Me, you, Sirius, Remus, Lupin, your friends can come if they want. Maybe some people from the Quidditch team. We haven't really planned it just talked about it"./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Is Lupin going to invite Julia?" Lily asked, curious./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Who really knows. I don't know if she'd be allowed to or what. She's actually supposed to come here at some point today," James answered./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, really?" said Lily, surprised, "I don't think I've ever seen her in here before"./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Yo, look Helena is over there she looks so pissed," Sirius drunkenly butted himself in between James and Lily./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Why's she pissed?" James said, slightly annoyed at his drunk best friend for interrupting them./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Because, she sees me over here talking to Rose. She gets jealous no matter how many times I make it clear I'm not tied down to anyone," Sirius replied in a tone that made the situation sound much more important than it actually was./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Well, you do kind of give her mixed signals," Lily chimed in./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""No I don't I tell her like all the time we aren't dating!" Sirius retorted./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Well you're always taking her out whenever the situation calls for a date, you hang out together all the time. Hell, you even went to some Muggle music festival with her this summer! Actions speak louder than words," Lily replied./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Whatever, Evans like you know she fucks other guys and I don't get jealous," Sirius said back. Before Lily could (or cared to) say anything else about the matter, the pub door slowly opened and Julia, Meredith, and Greta sheepishly entered. Julia caught sight of Lupin waving enthusiastically at her and they headed towards the group gathered around the bar. Everyone kindly greeted Julia and her friends. Julia took a seat in the stool next to Lupin, who drunkenly kissed her on the cheek, causing Julia to blush and her friends to look at one another, seemingly annoyed./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Rose! Another round for everyone!" James called to Rosmerta who, with a flick of her wand, got shots for everyone, including Julia and her friends, up on the bar. Everyone picked up a shot as Julia's friends just stared at the last two./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Alright, shh!" said James, offering a toast "To Christmas and my awesome New Years Eve party that we don't know anything about yet, just that you're all invited!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""I'm planning it too!" Sirius added, drunkenly. Everyone but Meredith and Greta swallowed back their shots./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""Do you want those?" Peter asked, pointing to the remaining shots. They shook their heads and got up and left. They were walking out the door when Julia realized what was going on. She tried to get up and go after them, but they were gone./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p 


End file.
